Entry into Singapore: From 1 Nov 2021, WP holders and dependants must be fully vaccinated before arrival

Groups of pass holders may start applying for entry approval into Singapore from 15 October 2021. Pass holders may have to wait about three to six months before they can enter Singapore.

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has announced that, effective 1 November 2021, all work pass holders and their dependants must be fully vaccinated before arriving in Singapore.

However, this entry approval requirement is currently only applicable to those with travel history to Category I and Category II countries/regions but will not apply to those applying under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA).

The same requirement of being fully-vaccinated has also been announced for migrant domestic workers (MDWs), and S Pass and work permit holders from the construction, marine shipyard, and process (CMP) sectors entering Singapore from higher risk countries/regions.

This will be applicable specifically to those with travel history to Category III and Category IV countries/regions, which includes but is not limited to the United Kingdom, Maldives, and the United States. To note however, that those with travel history to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are still barred from entering Singapore.

Pass holders may start applying for entry approval from 15 October 2021. Entry approvals will be limited to minimise importation risk. Pass holders may have to wait about three to six months before they can enter Singapore.

For unvaccinated work pass holders looking to enter Singapore via ongoing industry initiatives with tightened end-to-end safe management processes and lower risk of COVID-19 importation – MOM has clarified that they can do so without proof of vaccination, on the condition that they complete the full vaccination regimen within two months after they arrive in Singapore.

As previously announced on 2 October 2021, travellers must be able to produce documents verifying their vaccination status if requested by their airline, ferry operators or checkpoints upon arrival in Singapore. If travellers are unable to produce the required documents, they will be denied boarding or entry, unless prior exemption was granted. Pass holders who are medically ineligible for vaccination may appeal for exemption from the vaccination requirement, supported by a doctor’s memo, before applying for entry approval.

Additionally, vaccination requirements will also apply to travellers entering Singapore under Student’s Pass Holders Lane. As for travellers entering Singapore via the ICA’s Familial Ties Lane (FTL), priority will be given to those who are fully vaccinated. However, vaccination condition for entry will not apply to those aged below 18 years old at the point of arrival.

Image / 123RF

Follow us on Telegram @humanresourcesonline or click here for all the latest weekly HR and manpower news from around the region!